For the first time ever, I decided against making it a pillow top, and instead crafted it into a mini quilt. I put in a layer of batting, and backed it with a beautiful vintage double damask white linen napkin like I do with my pillows:

Then, I sewed vintage-but-new deep pink ribbon along the outside as a binding.

It's going to go in my Etsy shop as soon as I can get a photo of it on a small table. It's here in my Etsy shop.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

I was so lucky to have won this beautiful bracelet from Linda Lawrence during OWOH! Linda, a fellow Etsy Blogger, has a beautiful blog called Bella Bead Jewelry, and her tag line is "Fun Jewelry 4 Fun People". Can't you just see why:

Look how the handmade glass beads make a faux chocolate confection!

Doesn't it look good enough to eat?

I so admire the talent of the jewelry and bead artists I know, but have never been able to splurge on such a piece as this!

Thank you so much, Linda, for your gorgeous gift! I will wear it with joy!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

I don't know about you, but I was wrecked last night as I watched Canadian Olympic ice skater Joannie Rochette perform. In case you missed it, she is the Olympian whose mother passed away suddenly shortly after arriving in Vancouver on Sunday, apparently of a heart attack. Her mom was only 55 years old. Joannie made the decision to go ahead and skate, showing up for all of her practices between Sunday and yesterday when her event began. She skated beautifully -- she's in 3rd place so far -- and when she finished and the applause began she broke down and cried. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house; even the sports announcers calling the event were choked up.

I had a hard time falling asleep last night, thinking about my own mother, who many of you know passed away from a heart attack five years ago. I lost my father, also suddenly, from a blood clot five years before that. I understand the shock you feel at losing someone so suddenly, and the heartache of never having had the chance to say, "Goodbye."

In my mother's case, she had been feeling poorly for a couple of days and thought she had the flu: nausea, body aches, just all around lousy. She lived alone at her home in CA, and on the day of her heart attack she was waiting for a worker from the phone company to come and install another phone line in her house.

Her friend and neighbor stopped by and encouraged mom to go to the doctor. Mom told her she had to stay home and wait for the phone company. She asked the neighbor to pick up some soup for her at the grocery store. The neighbor left to do that, and when she returned with the soup she found my mother passed out in the kitchen and called the ambulance. At the hospital, doctors discovered she'd had a heart attack the day before, and, left untreated, she'd then had a stroke. By the time I reached her from CO, she was unable to communicate. She had to be medicated as soon as I arrived because, in her confusion and pain, she wouldn't stop trying to pull out all her tubes and catheters. She went to sleep then, and she never woke up.

My relationship with my mother was such that we didn't talk daily, or even weekly sometimes. I acknowledge, though, that even if I had been talking to my mother on the day she had her heart attack, had she told me her symptoms I probably would have agreed with her that she was suffering from the flu. Her symptoms didn't include chest or arm pain -- the signs that I had understood to indicate heart attack.

Physicians have just in the last year or two been trying to get the word out that women often have different symptoms than men when suffering a heart attack, like what my mother experienced. It's so important to be aware of this. Here is some clear information from The Mayo Clinic:

"The most common symptom of a heart attack in both men and women is some type of pain, pressure or discomfort in the chest. But it's not always severe or even the most prominent symptom, particularly in women. Women are more likely than men to have signs and symptoms unrelated to chest pain, such as:

Neck, shoulder, upper back or abdominal discomfort

Shortness of breath

Nausea or vomiting

Sweating

Lightheadedness or dizziness

Unusual fatigue

These signs and symptoms are more subtle than the obvious crushing chest pain often associated with heart attacks. This may be because women tend to have blockages not only in their main arteries, but also in the smaller arteries that supply blood to the heart — a condition called small vessel heart disease."

My heart goes out to Joannie. If you have lost your mother, you know as I do that her life will never be the same. In case you missed it, here's a video of her skate. Don't watch it without your hankie, though!

Monday, February 22, 2010

Two of my dearest blogging friends have recently opened Etsy shops, and I am so happy to be among their satisfied customers!

Linda Sue is an artist, an incredibly creative and talented woman with a diverse background and history that fascinates. She's well-traveled and she takes us all along on her trips -- even if it's just a walk along the lake with her four-legged companion, Dexter. Her medium of choice these days is felting. Linda is my favorite kind of blogger: a prolific one. She is SO funny! And a heck of a great photographer, as well.

Linda Sue recently opened an Etsy shop, Gollygollygolly, and her first wares in the store are beautiful button cards she created from a friend's vintage buttons! The proceeds from the sale of her cards go towards funding a friend's trip to a family wedding. See: Linda Sue is a creative genius and a wonderfully generous friend, to boot!

Here is mine! I love the little deer almost as much as I love the buttons! And sweet Linda Sue had already sent another deer card, and extra lovely gifts along with it, to me before I ordered this one (because great minds think alike!)

I can't wait until she begins to list some of her felt creations in her shop!

Another friend, Lydia, is sharing a new Etsy shop with her talented daughter: Lydia Oh Lydia! Art. It was hard to make up my mind as I perused her shop, but I chose a decorated antique tape measure! It arrived like this:

See how she decorated the envelope (top of photo) with fashion photos -- including some really cool shoes!

The cat card was an extra gift -- and look at the cute box she altered...

When I opened that cute box, this was inside...you can see the front of the tape measure through the sheer bag...

And this is the back of the tape measure!

Then she sent along these pre-cut pieces of vintage fabric -- someone's quilt project of long ago! How fun is that? If you love the tape measure -- she has another for sale in her shop! Plus some other lovely items, including jewelry and more art!

Lydia is so on my heart right now, as she's been caring for her husband since he became seriously ill in November. He had already been battling cancer, and is finally home after a very long hospital stay, but still in very poor health. If you are a praying person, please send some up for Lydia and her family -- I know they would be appreciated.

My life has been so enriched by all of you: my wonderful, creative, blogging friends!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Friends, I don't spend too much time going through my "spam" folder on email because it typically does a bang out job for me. I rarely find that anything at all has been accidentally sent there.

But just this morning I discovered that many, many of the wonderful comments made on this blog during the last couple of weeks went there instead of to my Inbox. With all of the extra activity from One World, One Heart, I didn't notice -- until now. But I was suspicious because a couple of people told me MY email had gone to their spam folder, which is also unusual.

So, I just wanted to say, especially to the new followers but also to old friends, I have just now seen some of your friendly messages and will be responding in the next day or two. I really thought I had responded to everyone but now find it's not so!

I feel very sheepish! I don't want anyone to think I'm ignoring you. All of your comments are very special to me, sincerely.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

With all the hubbub of OWOH, I didn't get to talk about how sweet my hubby was on Valentine's Day! He got me flowers in the colors that I love!

I so appreciated them because, among other things, the fuzzy pussy willows reminded me that Spring is really coming...soon...

And he splurged on some good CHOCOLATE! I know, I'm spoiled.

I got him and my other Valentine, my son, Bluetooth headsets for their phones -- fancy ones that let them listen to downloaded music on their phones, too.

And the other big event of last weekend: Vancouver! I wish I was actually taking a trip there, but since I can't right now I'm visiting it via the coverage of the Olympic Games! (It looks like a beautiful place, doesn't it?) I was fortunate enough to attend some of the Olympics back in 1984 when they were in nearby (then) Los Angeles. I actually saw Greg Louganis win his gold medal for Springboard Diving, and witnessed the medal ceremony! It was pretty special.

We really enjoy watching the Games. This year, as in times past, we visited the Olympic Training Center in nearby Colorado Springs on the day of the Opening Ceremony, just to get a little bit of that flavor, you know?

Here's one of the fantastic bronze sculptures in front of the building - this one depicts athletes doing the "Atlas" thing. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, and look at the top of the building you may be able to see the Olympic flame! It is always lit in its cauldron during the Games.

Here's my son and I just playing around with the rings in front of the building! We each bought a bit of Vancouver team wear at the store inside the Training Center -- I got a really cool training jacket in turquoise:

I actually have hardly taken the jacket off -- it's so comfortable and WARM -- it's called "Wetsuit" and is waterproof!

Did you get to see the pairs ice dancing? The short program, especially, was spectacular. I've only missed one evening of coverage so far -- last night, because I had to attend a Scout meeting -- but I plan to be glued to the TV for most of the rest of the Games! How about you?

Monday, February 15, 2010

How much fun did you have during One World, One Heart? I had the best of times! Would you believe, I set a goal for myself of visiting each of the more than 1000 blogs that participated, and I met that goal just last night! (Just to clarify, I visited them but didn't enter all the giveaways -- only the ones I really would have loved to win!)

I really enjoyed all the new blogs I saw, and I bookmarked more than 60 of them that I want to re-visit in the coming weeks! I have already, I hope, made a few new friends along the way -- and that's the point!

Many, many thanks to Lisa Swifka, the founder of OWOH and the webmaster extraordinaire who keeps it going for the event!

She wrote: "These are lovely offerings. Your ribbon embroidery is lovely. Being a collector of "stuff" I am enthralled by your ephemera. And that cup set is absolutely beautiful. Please enter me...I want to win."

Congratulations to both of you! Please email me with your mailing address as soon as possible -- but definitely before February 18!

My sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who visited during this event, and to all the new followers! Let's keep the conversation going all year!

Pinterest Me!

I'm passionate about pretty things and find beauty in shabby and well-loved stuff. I've never met an antique or thrift store I didn't like. And I love to rescue the old and forgotten and make it useful again. Come along and see what I've found and created!